Wersja polska

English version

181.000 Polish citizens under the age of 34 live in North England &
Midlands!

There are an estimated 750,000 people with Polish connections in the UK
today. Polish immigrants have arrived in the UK in several different
waves over the last three hundred years or so.

The first wave started in late eighteenth century when Poland was
partitioned by Austria, Prussia and Russia. The wartime Emigracja
(1940-1950), made up of members of the Polish Armed Forces and their
families and political prisoners from concentration camps in Germany and
Russia, brought an estimated 165,000 Poles to the UK. The most important
areas of settlement are London (particularly the western and northern
boroughs), the industrial North and the Midlands. Small numbers of new
migrants arrived in the wake of the Solidarity Movement in the 1980s.
More recently, the UK is proving to be a popular destination following
Poland's entry into the European Union.

In May 2004, eight (Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania,
Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, known as the "Accession Eight" - A8),
Eastern European nations joined the EU.

According to Home Office sources (Working Registration Scheme - WRS),
between May 2004 and September 2007, 743.000 people from A8 registered
to work in the UK. By far and away the largest group of people coming
to the UK has been the 489.720 Polish citizens. They make up 7,2 out of
every 10 Eastern European immigrants in Britain. 8 out of 10 of the
Polish emigrants who have come to Britain since May 2004 have been
under 34, the male to female ratio for immigrants is 55:45. Employees
covered under WRS, applied to work for employers based all over the UK,
however more than 181.000 Polish citizens registered to work in
the Midlands (82,438), North West (51,889),Yorkshire & Humber
(38,054), North East (8,635).

The Polish community is served by 113 Community Centres, 82 Catholic
Parishes, and 67 Saturday Schools. The largest Polish library in the
world outside Poland is located in the Polish Social and Cultural Centre
(POSK) in Hammersmith, London, which is also home to a theatre and a
British-Polish Chamber of Commerce Enterprise Centre.

Please note:

The statistic in the text above are only of those that have
registered with WRS (Worker Registration Scheme). There may be some
workers from A8 countries who for one reason or another did not
register and thus are not included in these figures.

Region North England & Midlands is defined according to the
Post Office's postal address Book regions.